All regrets aggravate
All regrets aggravate. Productive, regret, aggravate, then activate.
— from The Heart in the Cockpit (Emotion/Awe/Anxiety/Regret/Empathy) · Power of Regret by Daniel Pink
In the book
When you are stuck between options, lay them out and ask of each one: if I do not choose this, will I regret it? Then take the path that leaves you with no regret — because regret is the hardest thing of all to get out of your system. When you do feel it, make it the productive kind: don't dodge it, don't wallow, let the feeling become a catalyst — productive regret aggravates, then activates. There is a deep structure to what people regret most — foundation ("if only I'd done the work"), boldness ("if only I'd taken the risk"), moral ("if only I'd done the right thing"), and connection ("if only I'd reached out"). […] When something still went wrong, forgive yourself: you acted on the best mind you had in the moment. And make regret productive — feel it, then let it activate a change. Manufacture awe on purpose. Do not wait for the mountaintop. — The Heart in the Cockpit (Emotion/Awe/Anxiety/Regret/Empathy)